Broken
by Gemmi92
Summary: "You were there for me when I needed you, so I will be here because you need me now." Will/OC
1. Chapter 1

He had given her flowers.

He always gave her flowers after fights. It was the only way to make it up to her. He would threaten to leave, but he never did. He would come back in the middle of the night, raging drunk, and that was when the argument would begin. It kept her up late at night. She often never found sleep once he had finished. The arguments had been very few and far between, but they were slowly becoming more frequent.

And then the bruises appeared.

She would cover them as well as she could. She caked her face in make-up, her hair covering her neck and the marks there. She sometimes wore long sleeves and she often kept her head down. She would do her best not to let anyone see.

But Will Graham always saw.

"Rachel-"

"-I have the papers you marked from the other day," she interrupted him before he could say anything else.

She held a stack of papers in her hands, cradling them to her chest and scrunching up the white blouse she wore on her body. She crossed one ankle over the other, her gaze set down on the stack she held.

"I also put the marks on the system in case no one can collect their paper but wants to see the mark," she informed Will before glancing up to him and passing the papers over to him. "You had a student who was searching for you earlier, but I told her that I hadn't seen you."

Will nodded to her and she kept her gaze on him for a few moments as one of her hands tugged at her hair unknowingly and she pushed it down her shoulder. Her honey blonde hair had grown past her shoulders and hung halfway down her back in straight strands. She could try to hide the marks on her skin, but he could see them. She knew that.

"Is there anything else you need or can I go home for the night?" she asked of Will and he shook his head, pulling his glasses from his eyes and folding them into his pocket.

"Are you going back to him?" Will asked of her and she bit down on her bottom lip and shrugged.

He watched her turn around and grab the flowers she had placed into her vase before moving them over on her desk. Will straightened out the grey jacket he wore on his body before looking to the woman whom had become his PA during his time teaching, waiting for her to respond.

"He apologised," Rachel commented.

"He always apologises before he does it again," Will said, refusing to be sensitive around the issue like he knew he should be. "You know that, Rachel."

"It will be different this time," Rachel responded with a small smile to Will as she packed her possessions back into her bag.

"Why?" Will asked. "It is scarcely different because he has sent you a bigger bouquet than usual."

Rachel looked over to Will and glowered for a few moments. He couldn't even look her in the eye. She wondered if he had ever looked her in the eye before. His gaze was shifting anyway but her face, but she could sense that his eyes had settled on the marks on her neck.

She was usually grateful that he didn't look her in the eye. If he did then he would note how her mascara was threatening to run down her cheek. It always happened when she didn't need it to happen.

"And what should I do?" Rachel whispered in the small office which Will rarely used. "I live in the same apartment as him. I have no money to move out with...I can't leave...he promised me things would be different this time."

Will inhaled sharply and he took a step closer to her. He moved his hands to rest on her desk as she stood the other side of it, zipping up the tote bag she always carried around with her. She draped it over her shoulder and grabbed the red winter coat she always wore to rest over her arm.

"What about your parents?" Will asked of her.

"They don't know anything," Rachel said. "I told them about Andrew, but they are all the way in Canada. They still have Chloe to put through college and dad is working two jobs to help her...mom has enough on her plate with the twins."

Will took a moment to shake his head as he heard her. He often wondered what ran through her mind, but he did his best to find out by looking at her. It was a talent he had. He could read people better than a book. He could put themselves into their position, but Rachel was different. He rarely wanted to put himself in her position for fear of knowing what had happened to her. She was his PA, but she was a good one. She had always been there for Will when he needed her.

"You know that you...well...I'm sure...I can..." Will stammered as he searched for the right phrasing. "I have a sofa."

He blurted out those three words so fast that Rachel scarcely comprehended what he was saying. She gave him a kind smile and shook her head, her hand skimming the petal on the bouquet of large flowers.

"Thanks, Will," she said to him, "but I'm fine...everything will be fine...Andrew will have calmed down and we will be alright this time."

She began to sweep from the office, but Will grabbed her wrist to stop her. He continued to look down to the floor, his gaze content there instead of her wide green eyes. He shook his head as Rachel stared at his well chiselled face and he raked his free hand through his mop of dark curls.

"It has gotten worse, Rachel," he informed her. "It was bruises first...and then a cut...a split lip...and now your neck-"

"-Don't analyse me, Will," Rachel said, her voice sounding more pleading than demanding. "I'm not one of your students."

"But you are my colleague," Will declared to her. "I recognise the signs of strangulation, Rachel. His hands were around your neck and he left marks. How do you think this will play out? It keeps getting worse."

"Don't," Rachel said, her voice threatening to break as Will stepped closer to her, his grip on her wrist lighter and he looked to her face, gazing at her as she glanced to the ceiling.

"You're scared," Will whispered. "I can see it, Rachel. You're scared of what he will do, but you're scared to leave him."

Rachel's hand shook as Will kept her wrist in his grip and she finally looked to him and he dared to move his other hand to her neck, stroking her hair away as his thumb ran the length of the marks she was trying to hide. He remained silent, but he knew that he had been silent for too long on the matter.

"I should have intervened-"

"-No," Rachel said. "It is not your fight, Will. I can cope. I have coped."

"I understand how scared you are," Will promised her. "But you can't go back to him, Rachel. You need to recognise that."

"No," Rachel shook her head and pulled her wrist from Will's hand. "I have to go, Will. I'll see you tomorrow morning, okay?"

"No," Will declared to her. "Rachel, what kind of a man will I be if I let you go back to him? I cannot let you go back."

"You don't control me, Will," Rachel hissed and she stormed over to the door. "Look, I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

Will could say nothing more to her as she ran away from him and shut the door to his small office. He inhaled sharply and closed his eyes at her behaviour before resting on the back of his desk and wondering what more he could do.

...

A/N: So I recently became a Hannibal fan and this is my attempt at a Will/OC story! Do let me know what you think!


	2. Chapter 2

"Rachel?"

Will called his PA's name the following morning when he walked into the office he rarely used. He had tried to chase after Rachel the previous night, but she had escaped his gaze and ran off. He hadn't seen her car parked in the parking lot and so he assumed she had left. He didn't know how he had missed her. Her old VW was barely road worthy.

But she had gone and Will had let her.

It was only the following morning when he realised that he should have chased her and been quicker.

She wasn't in the office, but he soon found where she was.

"Mr Graham?"

Will turned his head around as he stood in the doorway to his office, a familiar looking brunette student staring at him with wide eyes.

"What is it?" Will wondered from her, looking over her shoulder for any sign of Rachel.

"I think your...well...secretary...she's in the bathroom," the girl said. "I think she is crying. I thought that I should tell you. She didn't answer when I knocked on the door."

Will nodded his thanks and swept past the girl and moved towards the bathroom. He ran his sweating palms down the front of his grey pants as he made his way to the ladies bathroom. He took a deep breath before stepping inside, peering his head around to make sure that no one was in the room. Thankfully the coast was clear. Will took a step further into the bathroom and saw the closed door at the end of the rows.

"You do know that there is a staff bathroom?" Will called out. "It might have been quieter in there."

He heard no response from her, but he did hear a loud sniff. He remained silent as he stood by the door and leant against the wall to the side of him. He folded his arms over his chest and waited for her to open the door. He said nothing, but he gave her the space she needed. He knew that was important for her. He couldn't force her to do something she didn't want to do.

It took a few more moments before the door opened outwards and Will stepped around it, his fingers curling over the frame as he did so. He looked down to the floor where Rachel was sat, her legs curled underneath her. Will could barely contain the gulp which escaped him at the sight of her.

"Rachel," he whispered her name.

"I...I can't..." she blubbered as Will knelt down in front of her.

He studied her appearance for a few moments. He noted how she wore a short black dress on her body. It barely covered her thighs and her legs were bare and pale. Heels were tossed to the other side of the cubicle and the make-up she wore was ruined on her face. He could see that she had attempted to curl her hair, but the curls were slowly falling out. But it was scarcely her appearance which took Will's attention.

It was the bruises on her face.

"What did he do to you?" Will asked of her and she remained curled in a ball, unable to think of moving.

"We were supposed to go out," Rachel whispered, looking down to her lap as Will followed her stare. "Andrew said that he would apologise and take me for a meal...but...he saw me...I was speaking to another man...he was asking me...just questions...and Andrew...we didn't even get home when he...he turned on me..."

Will felt his blood boil at the sight of her and he dared to move his hand out and run it down her cheek and over her bruise. She sobbed and her cheek seemed to press closer to Will's hand which startled him slightly. She placed a hand to her mouth as a loud sob escaped her and will stood up. He offered her his hand and hauled her to her feet.

"You're not just my PA," Will said to her. "You're...I don't know...but I won't let you go back to him. You can't go back."

Rachel said nothing as she kept hold of Will's hand and he shrugged out of his tweed jacket. He draped it around her shoulders and she clung onto its lapels and pulled it tighter around her body. Her mascara ran down her face as the tears continued to flow and Will looked around the bathroom.

"Why did you come here?" he asked her.

"I didn't know where else to go," she muttered. "I have nowhere else."

"I...well...I said you could have my sofa," Will told her and she nodded. "Do you still need it?"

She nodded again and Will sighed.

"Well, let's take you there then," he declared. "But I am calling the police as soon as we're there."

"You can't," Rachel quickly spoke. "Please, Will, you can't call the police. I'll leave him...but don't..."

"He cannot get away with this," Will informed her. "It isn't right, Rachel. He has committed a crime and he has hurt you. Would you let him get away with that?"

"Please," Rachel tried again, her voice small and broken.

Will had never seen her look so fragile as he did that morning. He hesitantly placed his hand on her back, but his hand didn't touch her skin as he led her out of the bathroom. People looked on with wonder as Will ignored his class and asked a passing teacher to cover it for him. He led her to his car after sensing that she was in no fit state to drive. He helped her into the vehicle and she kept her head bowed as he drove her back to his house.

Rachel was doing her best not to look at Will. She didn't know why he was being so kind, but she was grateful for it. She glanced up at Will's isolated house as they approached it on a dirt track. She climbed out the car and Will led her up the steps towards the front door where she heard the barking of dogs.

"How many dogs do you keep?" Rachel managed to ask as they stepped into the house and the dogs moved around Will's feet and he ordered them to keep calm.

"It depends," Will admitted to her as she closed the door behind them. "I take in stray dogs when I see them."

"I see," Rachel whispered. "You must really like dogs then."

Rachel bent down and ran a hand through one of the dog's fur as he nuzzled closer to her. Will watched her with intent for a few moments as Winston seemed to cosy up to her. He scratched the back of his neck and nodded his head to the sight.

"He seems to like you," Will commented.

"What's his name?"

"Winston," Will said. "He's been with me for a while now."

"He's adorable," Rachel whispered.

Nodding, Will took a moment to look around his living room before he saw his bed through the archway and he gulped, knowing that he should do the gallant thing and offer her his bed. She straightened up and Will took a moment to look her up and down again.

"Can I use your bathroom?" she asked of him.

"Of course," Will said, recalling how he rarely let anyone into his house, never mind spend time there. But Will had never been in a situation like this. "Do you need anything?"

"No," Rachel whispered as he showed her to the bathroom on the ground floor. "I'm fine...thanks..."

Will watched her close the door and he moved his pyjamas from the bed and pulled the curtains shut so that the light was closed out. He urged the dogs back to their baskets so that they didn't startle Rachel anymore. Will checked the watch he wore, realising that he could make it to his afternoon class if he left Rachel alone.

But would she be alright alone? Will would have to ask, but he didn't want to leave her in such a state.

She soon came out of the bedroom and he saw that she had cleared her face. She looked much paler and gaunter than before, and the purple bruise on her cheek was more visible. Will took in a sharp breath at the sight of her and motioned towards his bed.

"You can sleep in the bed," he urged her.

"Do you not sleep upstairs?" she wondered from him.

"No," Will said, watching as she looked to his bed underneath the window. "I prefer to live downstairs...in case anyone is outside...I feel safer..."

"I'd always feel safer upstairs," Rachel whispered and Will could sense an awkward silence forming between them.

He coughed into his fist as Rachel ran a hand down her arm and wondered what he was going to say to her. She kept quiet, standing by the bed and wondering how he would react if she simply crawled into it and fell asleep. It was all she wanted to do.

"I have a class this afternoon," Will suddenly said. "I don't have to go if you don't want me to-"

"-No," she shook her head at him. "You go. I'll be fine here if that's alright."

"Perfectly so," Will promised her and gave her a sad smile. "We'll talk more when I come back. The dogs should be no problem and if you need anything then you have my number."

"I am your PA," she offered him a slim smile, but he could see that she was forcing it.

Will smiled back and he quickly left her alone. He had only just gotten to the door when he heard her climb into his bed and lay down. She curled into a ball and fell asleep as Will gave her another disheartened stare and he knew what he had to do.

...

A/N: Thanks to everyone who read the first chapter and I hope you'll let me know what you think!


	3. Chapter 3

Will returned home later in the evening to find Rachel sat on the porch in nothing but the black dress she wore. He could see that the hairs on her arm were standing tall and her face was pale. Will shook his head as he pushed his keys into his grey coat pocket before standing before Rachel as she looked up to him.

"What are you doing out here, Rachel?" Will wondered of her and she shrugged to him.

"I needed fresh air," she replied. "I let your dogs out. They're running through the snow for a little bit."

"No worries," Will promised her, "but you should have taken my jacket if you wanted to come out here. I don't want you to die from a cold."

Rachel managed a small smile as Will sat down next to her and she laced her fingers together. She leant forwards, her dress riding up her thighs far too much for Will's comfort. He tried to ignore her bare skin, but he couldn't help but notice the bruises which sat there too. He dreaded to think what Andrew had done to her in the past. He didn't want to know, but he was well aware that he had to keep her away from him.

"Did you find those papers?" Rachel suddenly asked. "I should have mentioned earlier that there was some kind of meeting the other night you couldn't attend and they gave me the minutes for it. I only thought about it when I woke up earlier."

Will sighed and continued to glance over at his PA's face with a lack of understanding. How could she be so bothered by something like that? He didn't know.

"Forget about the minutes," he urged her in a small voice. "They don't matter. What matters is doing the right thing now, Rachel."

Shaking her head slowly, Rachel moved to stand. She ran her hands down her legs to pull her dress down and she walked into Will's house once more. Will sighed lowly and called for the dogs to come back to him. They ran with haste as Will followed Rachel and closed the door behind him. She was stood by the bed, pulling his duvet cover tidily over the mattress.

"Rachel," Will spoke her name again, "we need to talk about what happened. You cannot keep ignoring everything. You know that."

"I'm not."

"Then what do you intend to do?" he demanded of her.

"I don't know," she admitted to Will. "What do you think I should do, Will? Calling the police is not an option for me."

"Why isn't it?" Will demanded. "Your boyfriend has been beating you. He deserves everything that happens to him."

"And me?" Rachel wondered of Will. "I don't want to go through a trial, Will. I don't want to go to police...explain everything that has happened...relive it all...I can't do that. I just can't go through it. And what happens to him? He'll go to prison...for how long? A couple of years? And when he comes out then what do you think he will do?"

"What do you think he will do if he doesn't go to jail?" Will asked of her.

"I don't know!" Rachel yelled at him, her body shaking as she did so. "I don't know, but I don't want to do it. I don't want to go to the police...I want...I want to go...I just want to leave him...but he won't leave me alone, Will. He'll never leave me alone."

Will wondered what to say to Rachel as she stood tall, her arms flapping by her side as she did so. He had never seen anyone look such a mess before. It took him a few minutes to gather his thoughts before he walked over to her and she remained still, her gaze set on Will.

"You have to leave him," Will sternly told her, "but I'll help you do it, Rachel. You don't need to be alone."

She sniffed and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.

"Why do you want to help me?" she whispered. "I'm just your PA...and I...I..."

"You're not just my PA, Rachel," Will promised her. "We may not be best friends, but I'm not the kind of man to leave you to suffer...no man I know would do that...so no, Rachel, I will not let you go back to him and I will not let him hurt you either."

It took Rachel a few minutes to let herself go fully. She moved closer to Will and slowly wrapped her arms around him underneath his arms. Will stood stiffly as he took a moment to comprehend what she was doing. He slowly moved his own arms around her, his palm resting in the small of her back as her chin went to his shoulder.

"Thank you," Rachel whispered in a small voice. "Thank you for everything."

"You don't need to thank me," Will promised her.

It was only then when she heard her cell begin to ring from her bag. She looked over to it by the side of the bed and Will watched as she released him and moved to take hold of the phone. She knelt down and rummaged around, her hands shaking as she checked the caller ID. Will watched her hesitance and he knew who it was without needing to question her. She gulped lowly and he watched her reject the call.

"That will have pissed him right off," Rachel whispered in a small voice about the fact she had just rejected the call.

"Pissing him off should be the least of your concerns," Will replied. "But you do need to go and pick all of your stuff up from your apartment."

"I can't," Rachel said. "He'll be expecting me to come home and I can't go back. I don't know what kind of mood he will be in and that scares me."

"I'll come with you."

"Are you crazy?" she quickly replied to Will. "What do you think he will do if he finds out I've stayed here? Do you think that he will welcome you into the apartment? Will, it is too dangerous...I'll...I'll just wait until he goes to work tomorrow morning...and pick everything that I need up then..."

Will took a sharp breath as her phone began to ring again. She shook her head as she heard it and picked it up. She tossed it against the wall and it broke into multiple pieces. Will did a double take at the sight of her, but he said nothing as she slumped down to the ground, her hands over her eyes as she did so.

She sank down the edge of the bed, her knees hugged against her chest as Will shook his head slowly.

"You're not coping," Will whispered so that she couldn't hear him.

Rachel's hands continued to cover her eyes as she sobbed and Will knew that he could only try to talk to her, but he couldn't help her. He wasn't trained to know what was going on in her mind. She needed someone else. She needed someone who could help her. Will didn't know what more he could do but sit behind her and rest his hand on her shoulder as he contemplated telling her what may be for the best.

If only he knew that Hannibal Lecter would be no good for her as he held her shoulder. That was the one thing he would live to regret.

...

Will had left Rachel alone the following morning, telling her to take another day off. She had nodded and asked if he could go with her later on in the day to pick all of her belongings up from the apartment. Will had nodded to her and she had smiled softly. He had let her sleep in his bed again the previous night as he took the sofa. She wore one of his shirts on her body in comparison to her small dress.

Going to work had never bothered Will before, but that morning was completely different. He walked into his office and his mouth gaped at the sight in front of him. He clenched his hands into fists as he saw the man stood before him, his upper thighs resting against the back of Will's desk.

He wore a sharp and crisp suit and his black hair was smoothed back from his face. He had a distinct jaw and pale blue eyes which Will could sense were full of lies and deceit. He didn't need to ask who he was. Will already knew.

"What are you doing here?" Will snapped and the man cocked a brow.

"And who are you?"

"Well, you are in my office," Will hissed. "Shouldn't you know the answer to that question?"

He seemed annoyed, but he said nothing. Will pursed his lips and folded his hands over his plaid shirt, waiting for the man to speak. Will had no intention of making the first move with him. He was better than that.

"Where is Rachel?"

"She isn't here," Will quickly responded to him.

"I can see that," he responded. "But where is she?"

"I wouldn't know," Will lied. "And even if I did know, I wouldn't tell you where she was either."

That seemed to get a rise out of him. "Do you know who I am?"

Will snorted at that and rolled his eyes into the back of his head at what he was hearing. Andrew Manderly was not a man who was to be trifled with. Will could sense that much, but Will struggled to care. He struggled to resist the urge to call security. The only thing stopping him was Rachel's scared face from the night before. He had never seen her look so frightened at the thought of calling the police.

"Andrew Madnerly," Will nodded. "I know about you. I also know what you have done to Rachel."

Andrew looked slightly taken back, but Will didn't know why. He had given her bruises. He always sent flowers after he gave her them, but it was never enough as far as Will was concerned. A bouquet of flowers didn't make up for what he had done.

"You shouldn't look shocked," Will warned him. "Do you think I haven't noticed her coming into work with bruises? She plasters make up on her face, but it is never enough really."

"I came here to find her," Andrew drawled. "If she is not here then I will go and look elsewhere."

"Maybe she doesn't want to be found?" Will suggested and Andrew scoffed lowly at that. "Maybe she's gone for good...left you...all alone...can you blame her? She might not want to be used as your personal punching bag."

"How dare you," Andrew seethed and Will jumped back as the man stood tall and moved towards him.

"Don't even think about it," Will said in a dangerous and low voice. "I can have security here in a flash."

Andrew smirked smugly and Will wondered what a girl like Rachel had seen in a guy like Andrew. He was nothing but a pompous ass. Will could sense that much. He watched as Andrew picked his briefcase up from the floor and held it to his side, buttoning up his suit jacket.

"I will find her," Andrew whispered in a low voice. "And you'll do well to stay away from her."

"That might be hard to do considering I'm her boss," Will whispered, pushing his glasses further onto his nose as he did so. "But if she does come back then don't be too offended if I don't let you know."

Andrew smirked and left the office as Will remained still, making sure he had gone before he slammed the door to his office and sank down into his chair. He kept silent as he raked a hand through his hair and wondered how much of a problem Andrew was going to be.

...

A/N: Thanks to everyone reading and please do review!


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